1. Field of the Invention
The invention is a method and system for monitoring and displaying engine performance parameters and more particularly to a method and system for simultaneously monitoring and visually displaying, a plurality of the performance parameters of an aircraft engine during operation, including the predicted value of maximum available thrust or power, the predicated amount of thrust commanded, and the thrust then actually being produced within the critical limits of the predicted nominal and actual values of the plurality of monitored engine performance parameters.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In general conventional single and multiple engine aircraft control systems include individual instruments that provide operational data (engine performance parameter measurements) to the pilot based on the outputs of a plurality of individual sensors.
Some electronically generated, microprocessor driven displays in multiple engine jet aircraft, such as the Boeing 757/767 manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplane Company, P.0. Box 3707, Seattle, Wash. 98124, use a similar approach, except the outputs from two or more sensors may be presented on a single electronic display.
Thus, conventional instrumentation can result in a cluttered control panel that increases the pilots workload in reading and interpreting the outputs of the various instruments. This in turn adds to the difficulty of readily and accurately identifying changes in critical and changing engine performance parameters that can lead to degrading off-nominal or off-limit operating conditions.
For instance, currently, before making a thrust or power adjustment during take off, pilots of multiple engine jet aircraft use charts to calculate the amount of thrust available from each engine and then using this reading to set either the engine pressure ratio (EPR) or low pressure compression rotational speed for each engine. In addition, the pilot must also cross-check the several engine performance parameters for each engine such as exhaust gas temperature (EGT), fuel flow (FF), oil pressure, temperature, and quantity to assure all are within the operational limits of each engine as provided by the manufacturer or based on the pilots experience and judgement before changing the thrust of the engines. This is an indirect, time consuming thrust control process.